About the Ranking Member
As a lifelong Idahoan, U.S. Senator Mike Crapo has learned that a willingness to listen makes for a more effective leader and lawmaker. Senator Crapo’s commonsense approach and collaborative, creative problem-solving have enabled him to achieve lasting solutions to issues of importance to Idahoans and the nation. His strong background and interest in the finance arena has led to his leadership role in making inroads in the areas of regulatory relief, expansion of homeownership, trade and securities and investment.
Senator Crapo joined the Senate Finance Committee in 2005, and became the top Republican on the Committee in January 2021. Senator Crapo strongly supports free market policies that fuel economic growth. Building on the successful 2017 tax reform law, increasing access to quality, affordable health care and promoting the U.S.’s global competitiveness through free and fair trade are among his top priorities.
In addition to serving on the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Crapo is a current member and former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, House and Urban Affairs, which has jurisdiction over efforts to promote the stability of the financial system and responsible lending to families and businesses. As Chairman of the Banking Committee, he successfully ushered important bipartisan bills into law, including legislation to right-size regulation for smaller financial institutions; legislation to strengthen and expand economic sanctions against Russia; and legislation to protect our nation’s critical technologies from foreign competitors, among others. In early 2020, Crapo served as one of the lead negotiators in crafting major COVID-19 relief legislation, shaping many of the provisions of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act designed to provide significant economic support to severely distressed sectors of the U.S. economy.
In addition to the Finance Committee and Banking Committee, Senator Crapo is a member of the Senate Budget Committee. Senator Crapo also serves on the Joint Committee on Taxation, a bipartisan committee with members of both the House and Senate who work collaboratively on the tax legislative process. His sensible approach has earned him the respect of his colleagues, and he has been selected to serve in various other leadership roles in the 117th Congress, including Chief Deputy Republican Whip.
Senator Crapo was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1998 after serving six years in the U.S. House of Representatives and eight years in the Idaho State Senate, where he served as Senate President Pro Tem. Before his election to Congress and the state legislature, Crapo was a partner in the law firm of Holden, Kidwell, Hahn & Crapo. He received his law degree from Harvard Law School and undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University.
